The Louisiana Department of Education has released school performance scores. Education Superintendent John White says over 500 schools have been identified as struggling and must submit an improvement plan to the state…
cut 11 (10) “…those plans”
13-percent of schools received an “A” grade while 12-percent of schools statewide received an “F” grade.

On election day, Missouri and Arkansas voters agreed to raise their state’s minimum wage above the federal minimum wage. Louisiana is now one of just five states that still goes by the federal minimum wage of $7.25. New Orleans Senator Troy Carter has been a proponent of raising the wage…
cut 5 (10) “….fair wage”
Carter says he’ll once again file legislation next year to raise the wage.

Sunday marks Veterans Day and there are 278-thousand veterans in Louisiana. The state’s Veterans Affairs Secretary, Colonel Joey Strickland, says its important to remember our country is still at war and when our soldiers return to civilian life, it’s important the transition is seamless as possible…
cut 13 (11) “…of Veteran’s Affairs”
Strickland says if Louisiana Veterans and their families are experiencing financial hardships, he advises them to apply for help through the state’s Military Family Assistance Fund. Go to vet-affairs-dot-la-dot-gov.

Rain is falling across a good portion of the state and once the rain moves out, cold air will move in. State Climatologist Barry Keim says temperatures will be just above freezing in north Louisiana tomorrow morning…
cut 9 (11) “…event”
Even colder weather is in the forecast for the middle of next week.

Get ready for a cold weekend. Temps today will be in the 50s for most of the state and tomorrow we’ll see high temperatures in the upper 40s for the northern half of the state, mid 50s for south Louisiana. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the polar vortex is pushing cold air into our region…
cut 8 (09) “….ugly head”
Even colder temperatures are expected in the middle of next week.

Voters in Arkansas have approved raising the minimum wage to 11- dollars by 2021, so will we see another effort next year to increase the hourly salary for Louisiana’s lowest paid workers. New Orleans Senator Troy Carter has been pushing a higher minimum wage and he says he’ll be even more ambitious when the session begins in April…
cut 6 (09) “…getting worse”
Business groups have successfully fought back any attempt to raise the minimum wage in Louisiana.

Louisiana’s public school report card is out, with fewer As and more Fs than last year. Matt Doyle has more.
Cut 3 (30) “…Matt Doyle”

The US Coast Guard announces it will conduct a formal investigation into the crane barge crash that’s closed the Sunshine Bridge in St. James Parish. A formal investigation means the federal agency will likely hold public hearings with witnesses and parties of interest.

Two Republican-run southern states raised their minimum wage Tuesday, and advocates say that’s great ammunition for Louisiana’s upcoming attempt in 2019.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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Fall will arrive with a vengeance at the start of this weekend. Connor Ferrill has the story.

Cut 2 (26) “Im Connor Ferrill”  

If Georgia doesn’t make the four-team playoff or if the Bulldogs do not finish higher than LSU in the college football playoff rankings, than LSU will end up at the Sugar Bowl.

Palm predicts LSU will play in the Fiesta Bowl, where they’ll face off against a Group of Five school, most likely U-C-F11

Cut 17 (12) “Fiesta Bowl”

ESPN and Sports Illustrated predicts LSU will end up in the Peach Bowl. Palm says the Tigers will be in one of these big bowls, as long as they win out…

Cut 18 (10) “group of teams”

________________________________

The Saints newest acquisition, Dez Bryant, spoke with media for the first time since inking a deal with the black and gold to finish out the season.  He joins a depleted receiving core that’s lost Ted Ginn, Tommy Lee Lewis, and now Cameron Meredith for the year.  The former All-Pro Bryant says he’s excited about to opportunity to work with his new squad.

Cut 19 (13)   “…with these guys.”

The Saints make the trip to Arlington later this month to take on Bryant’s former team.  Bryant was asked if it would be emotional for him to return to the stadium he called home for so many years.

Cut 20 (14) “…the opponent now.”

Saints coach Sean Payton spoke today about the team’s new acquisition, former Cowboys star Dez Bryant.  Payton says the former All-Pro wide receiver is about five pounds heavier than he should be, but that’s to be expected.

Cut 12 (08)   “…that process today.”
Bryant has been known as a problem child. But Payton says the Saints have a special culture and it will be a good fit for Bryant.
The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services is celebrating a record breaking number of adoptions from foster care, with 912 children finding homes in the Federal Fiscal Year of 2018.  It’s an 18% increase from the previous record set last year.  DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters credits additional staffing support as well as families wanting to take in more than just one child.

Cut 9 (08) “…a big chunk.”

A Gonzales woman was killed last night in an eleven vehicle pile up on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish. State Trooper Bryan Lee says an 18-wheeler caused the chain reaction crash.  Lee says the driver of the semi-truck, 56-year-old John White from Mississippi, has been booked into the Ascension Parish Jail for Negligent Homicide and 18 counts of Negligent Injuring.

Cut 4 (10) “…major task″

Turnout for the midterm elections in Louisiana was 48 percent.  That’s in comparison to the only 40 percent of eligible voters who participated in the 2015 governor’s race run-off between David Vitter and now Governor Edwards.  It tough to answer exactly why Louisianans have grown less engaged with state issues over the decades, but LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Mike Henderson says it could be due to a media climate that’s increasingly focused on high profile races for federal seats.

Cut 8 (08) “…the papers”

A Gonzales woman was killed last night in an eleven vehicle pile up on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish. State Trooper Bryan Lee says 18-wheeler caused the chain reaction crash. Lee says the 18-wheeler encountered traffic on Interstate 10 near Gonzales that was stopped because of a previous accident…
Cut 5 (05)  “…that crash.” 
The driver of the semi-truck, 56-year-old John White from Mississippi, has been booked into the Ascension Parish Jail

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services is celebrating a record breaking number of adoptions from foster care, with 912 children finding homes in the Federal Fiscal Year of 2018.  It’s an 18% increase from the previous record set last year.  DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says the agency is seeking out families that will adopt groups of siblings over just one child at a time.
Cut 10 (11)   “…only want one.“

Turnout for the midterm elections in Louisiana was 48 percent. Only 40 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2015 governor’s race run-off between David Vitter and now Governor Edwards. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Mike Henderson says it’s a notable number, considering Louisiana lacked any high profile statewide elections, but it’s only a bit higher than the last major midterm in 2014.  While Louisiana’s federal election participation is going up…

Cut 7 (09) “…early 80s.”
Louisiana’s next statewide election is in December for the Secretary of State’s run-off.

Could we ever see a Blue Wave in Louisiana? Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat doubts that will happen, because the national party has moved too far to the left…
Cut 30 (09) “…Democratic Party’
Pinsonat says the number of white Democrats is dwindling in Louisiana.

Fewer public schools received an “A” grade while the percentage of schools that received an “F” went up, as school performance scores were released today. State Education Superintendent John White says the decline in schools that received an “A” is because Louisiana has raised the bar for what it takes to earn the highest grade.

Voter turnout in Louisiana for the November 6th election was 48-percent. Matt Doyle reports that falls in line with previous federal mid-term elections…
voicer 1 (30) “…Matt Doyle”

For the third straight year, Louisiana has set a record for the number of children in foster care adopted by families. 912 kids in foster care found a home, up 18-percent from the last federal fiscal year. Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters on whether they can break another record next year…
cut 11 (08) “…that last ”
D-C-F-S attributes the recent run of recored adoptions to extra support staff and more families adopting more than child.

Former All Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant is officially a New Orleans Saint after signing a one-year contract worth a reported 600-thousand dollars. Bryant at times was an off the field distraction in Dallas. But Saints Coach Sean Payton says…
cut 13 (10) “…help support you”
Payton says they’ll see how practice goes this week, before deciding if he’ll play Sunday at Cincinnati.

Voter participation was about 48 percent for the Louisiana midterms, just above the national estimated average of 47. Matt Doyle has more.

Cut 1 (30) “I’m Matt Doyle”

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The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services is celebrating a record-breaking number of adoptions from foster care, with 631 families taking in 912 children in the Federal Fiscal Year of 2018.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “Im Kevin Barnhart.”  

Turnout for the midterm elections in Louisiana was 48 percent, a touch above early estimations that national turnout was 47 percent. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Mike Henderson says it’s a notable number, considering Louisiana lacked any high profile statewide elections, but it’s only a bit higher than the last major midterm in 2014…

Cut 6 (09) “…midterm elections”

Louisiana’s next statewide election is in December for the Secretary of State’s run-off.

Saints coach Sean Peyton says newly signed receiver Dez Bryant is a toss-up to start Sunday against the Bengal’s, as that the former Dallas All-Pro is about five pounds heavier than he used to be, but considering he’s sat out for a while that’s not too unexpected.

Cut 12 (08)   “…that process today.”

Dez is coming to New Orleans for 600K, and will be sorely needed after the Saints lost Cameron Meredith to IR.

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services is celebrating a record-breaking number of adoptions from foster care, with 631 families taking in 912 children in the Federal Fiscal Year of 2018.  Kevin Barnhart has the story.

Cut 2 (31) “Im Kevin Barnhart.”  

A Gonzales woman was killed last night in an eleven vehicle pile-up on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish. State Trooper Bryan Lee says 18-wheeler caused the chain reaction crash.

Cut 3 (08) “…people injured.”

Lee says the driver of the semi-truck, 56-year-old John White from Mississippi, has been booked into the Ascension Parish Jail.

A Gonzales woman was killed last night in an eleven vehicle pile up on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish. State Trooper Bryan Lee says the driver of the semi-truck, 56-year-old John White from Mississippi, has been booked into the Ascension Parish Jail for Negligent Homicide and 18 counts of Negligent Injuring. Lee says 18 people were hurt along with the one fatality…

Cut 4 (10) “…major task″
The interstate re-opened at around four o’ clock this morning

Turnout for the midterm elections in Louisiana was 48 percent, a touch above early estimations that national turnout was 47 percent. Its tough to answer exactly why Louisianans have grown less engaged with state issues over the decades, but LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Mike Henderson says it could be due to a media climate that’s increasingly focused on high profile races for federal seats.

Cut 8 (08) “…the papers”

The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services is celebrating a record-breaking number of adoptions from foster care, with 912 children finding homes in the Federal Fiscal Year of 2018.  It’s an 18% increase from the previous record set last year.  DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says the agency is seeking out families that will adopt groups of siblings over just one child at a time.

Cut 10 (11)   “…only want one.“

Voters in 47 of 64 parishes have decided online fantasy sports games should be legal in their parish. The opens the door for FanDuel and Draft Kings to operate in select areas. River Ridge Republican Representative Kirk Talbot, who triggered the ballot initiative, said he didn’t expect to get more than 40 parishes on board.

Cut 13 (05)   “…a decent showing.”

Turnout for the midterm elections in Louisiana was 48 percent, a touch above early estimations that national turnout was 47 percent. LSU Public Policy Research Lab Director Mike Henderson says it’s a part of a trend towards higher federal election turnout in the bayou, but…

Cut 7 (09) “…early 80s.”

Only 40 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2015 governor’s race run-off between David Vitter and now Governor Edwards.

DCFS saw an 18 percent increase in adoptions over last year, continuing a three year streak of record breaking adoption numbers. Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says the 912 adoptees were taken in by 631 families, indicating families are willing to take in more than one kid.

Cut 9 (08) “…a big chunk.”

Which is good considering single adoptions can separate siblings.

A Gonzales woman was killed last night in an eleven vehicle pile up on Interstate 10 in Ascension Parish. State Trooper Bryan Lee says she died in chain recation crash. Lee says 56-year-old John White’s 18-wheeler encounter traffic on Interstate 10 near Gonzales that was stopped because of a previous accident…

Cut 5 (05)  “…that crash.” 

White, who hails from Mississippi, has been booked into the Ascension Parish Jail for Negligent Homicide and 18 counts of Negligent Injuring.

And the details for Dez Bryant’s new contract with the Black and Gold are out. the veteran all-pro receiver will get 600K to finish out the year in New Orleans. He joins a depleted receiving core that’s lost Ted Ginn, Tommy Lee Lewis, and now Cameron Meredith for the year.